


Divine Earth

by softstars



Category: Rune Factory (Video Games), Rune Factory 4
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Post-Ending, divine earth au, it's gonna be cool i promise?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-10-21 18:09:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17647397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softstars/pseuds/softstars
Summary: The rune energy of the world has been disturbed again, and Frey- miffed and ready to have it fixed forever- is willing to make sacrifices to fix it again. However, she definitely bites off a bit more than she can chew upon stepping into the Forest of Beginnings.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> To be honest, it's been a few years since I last played RF4, so if I have anything incorrect, let me know! But please don't correct me with *your* interpretations if i've taken some liberties with unexplored concepts.

It was an uproar, the day she had decided to leave. She stood high upon a quickly constructed podium, listen to all the shuffling feet and curious whispers, solemnity weighing down her usually happy features. Frey remembers each of their faces- from Porco's slightly concerned fatherly look (or as close as the jolly man could get) to Dolce's annoyance with having to stand for so long- and of course, the warm breeze from behind her, Ventuswill's head peaking slightly out of the castle door behind her. 

Her heart beat loudly in her chest, frazzling her thoughts just as much has her fingers had done to her hair. She smoothed said frazzled locks in an attempt to look calmer, but to no avail, Leon, who had stood near the front, quirked an eyebrow at her suspiciously. Nothing escaped the Dragon Priest. A heavy breath rattled in her chest, threatening the fake calm she had put on. _I need to get on with it,_ she thought, _before I bail on the whole idea._ The princess cleared her throat and silence falls over the crowd of people she had grown to love.

"As you all know," she began, trying to force the shakiness in her voice out, "there's been a bit of a disturbance in the Rune Energy- and if you didn't know!" She laughed awkwardly. "Now you do, and that's why some of your daisies have been dying." _A terrible joke, lightening the blow is so hard._

More shuffling feet and a blonde head had come closer to the front. Frey didn't want to look, but caught herself doing it anyhow. Soft amber hues, a worried brow, lips forming the words _What are you doing?_

"As the princess of Selphia," she said to everyone, but mostly to Arthur, "and the last earthmate, I am obligated to fix this issue- and- I want to fix it once and for all. So I am going into the Forest of Beginnings-"

_**"Frey."** _ Ventuswill, as expected, shot off a breathy warning to the princess. Frey trembled in her spot, eyes closing tight. "I will be," she insisted, "and I will balance the energy myself, somehow." 

********

********

Arthur's face fell, and Frey knew he was thinking about all the times she had come in to research the Forest from his library, all the times they had talked about it "theoretically." His hand held his chest and he shook his head at her. _No,_ he seemed to say, _you're not allowed._ But with no force behind it, Frey wasn't one to be stopped. Leon's lips pressed into a tight line- duty was duty, but that didn't mean he wasn't saying his prayers for her. And Ventuswill- she was about to burst- already climbing out of her castle. Guilt twisted her heart, dark and hurtful, and her gut wrenched at the thought of leaving everything behind.

"I don't know if i'll be coming back," tears about to be shed thickened her voice, "So as Princess of Selphia I hereby step down from my position and name Arthur D. Lawrence as acting Prince of Selphia." 

"Frey! No, you won't!" he yells, but she nods. Ventuswill chimes in, _**"FREY YOU WILL NOT."**_ but warm blue light starts enveloping the princess long before anyone can stop her. And right before she is teleported away, the sound of Doug's voice yelling "Long live Princess Frey!" and a rising chorus of those behind him repeating it just barely touches her ears. 

\----------------------------------------------------

But that was atleast a month in the time of the real world away, in the Forest of Beginnings, Frey had been wandering around two weeks, looking for the the irregularity in the sheer white that surrounded her. An occasional flicker of a monster and a patch of land that was always hazy around the edges, no matter how close she got to it. 

A faint buzzing touched her ears. Sparks of hope flickered in her chest, noise being more of a sign than anything Frey had found so far. She sits for a moment on the ground, listening carefully for the direction the noise came from. _North._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tw for some horror aspects, it gets kinda intense, but i promise Frey will be okay sooner rather than later. this fic focuses on the aftermath of fixing the rune energy, but you still get the terrible way it's fixed :D

She sprints towards the discontinuity in the Rune Energy, all the excitement in her body propelling her forward in a burst of adrenaline. Her month's worth of searching finally coming to an end gave her a sense of relief nothing could match. _Now everyone can be safe. Now there's no Guardians or running amuck for Rune Spheres. The land would be peaceful at last._ Her heart aches for Arthur for a moment, slowing her run down to a hesitant walk and pulling the corners of her mouth downward. Frey would miss them all, but leaving the man she'd grown to love hurt the most. His gentle touch and witty quips always made her heart flutter, it wasn't a surprise that she had taken to him so quickly.

Dancing sweetly across Porcoline's emptied dining room after promises to clean it for him. Sitting late at night by a lantern in his room, reading books he ordered from foreign goods dealers just so she could laugh at their silly tales. Watching his magical skills improve as she forced him to go out monster hunting with her. Early mornings of him peacefully watering her crops as she picked weeds. He wasn't as manly as the other men around- and maybe a little awkward at times, but he was charming in his own right. Calm and kind, he was always willing to do anything to make her happy. Maybe a bit sensitive, but he'd been dealt a few bad hands. The most tragic one- the ordeal with his mother, dampened her spirits when she thought of it, but happy stories he told of her always graced her heart. She felt a bit down thinking of them now. He had one good thing taken away- and now Frey was forcing herself out of the picture as well.

She was selfish for leaving him.

But she had to do this, it was important. Ventuswill's existence would be guaranteed, the land's fertility was important to the people's survival, monsters wouldn't be able to cross over rampantly and harass anyone they came across. There'd be nothing howling at Kiel's window, no randomly dying crops, and no more Selphia without it's Divine Wind. The months Ventuswill had been gone left the town feeling empty, incomplete. Arthur could find another nice girl, right? It pains her to think about, but it had to be true, if only to keep her from turning back.

So she continues on, pushing past white light and budding guilt, to the tiny rift. It’s not that big, not yet anyways, and she’s not sure how to fix it. It was soft around the edges, as if it barely existed in reality at all. Perhaps some spell or two, if only it was as easy as the quick charm she used to fix her broken tools. Curiosity guides her fingertips towards the edge of the tear and she lets out an amused puff whenever it's cold. Undefined, but still chilly, it reminded her of grooming her full coated woolies during the winter months. She probes deeper, but yanks back her hand at the feeling of sudden disappearance, as if her hand had barely existed at all for a moment. Frey doesn't get far, however, as white tendrils creep down around her wrist and down her arm, trying to crack it. Fully formed creatures didn't recycle easily. She squeals, trying to pull away, but to no avail. 

**It pulls her back hard.** Frey squeals, trying to rip her arm away as a sudden force drags her in. Her heart beat reverberates off of the energy around her, filling her ears with it’s loud vibrations. A screams tears itself from her throat as white tendrils wrap tight around her body. They tear at her skin, trying to take it apart- but to no avail, energy contained in a fully formed creature was much harder to recycle. The Forest continues to try to take her, then in a last ditch effort, clasps around her wrists and ankles. Frey screams in panic, feeling genuinely terrified for the first time since her last altercation with the rune energy issues. Hot fear strikes her chest, overwhelming. She thrashes violently as she desperately tries to get away.

_*NO NO NO NO NO NO._ Her thoughts can be heard in every inch of her being, loud and intrusive. **PLEASE** she thinks she screams, but white overtakes her vision and muddles her thoughts. Is she speaking or is she thinking? _Oh gods above,_ she thought she might die, but not like this. Heaving breaths become heavy on her ears, an icy burn radiating from the outside to her core. Another scream tears from her throat, heart pounding even louder than before. Light pours from every inch of her as she flails in her incorporeal bindings. White overtakes her vision and muddles her thoughts. Is she speaking or is she thinking? _Oh gods above,_ Frey worried she might die, but not like this. An _earthmate_ , a perfect gateway for energy to travel between realms.

Stasis overcame her at once, a calming white noise filling her mind as her body still struggled to it's own accord. The Forest stood solemn at it's own decision, vibrating with fluid energy stirring slowly awake. Life hummed, in balance once again.

...  
  
And in a sleeping town,  
Leon buzzes with anxiety.  
Ventuswill stirs restlessly.  
Arthur jolts awake.  
And Granny Blossom’s daisies bloom again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (:

Two months or so, she had waited. Laid silently and hoped for their princess to return. But restlessness had grown heavy in her heart, and the dragoness gathered Rune Spheres and hope, and followed the Earthmate into the lion's den. Ancient magic stirred there, the very roots of their world's life force stemming from the Forest. Ventuswill was surprised the spheres didn't disintegrate in her claws when she entered.

Now the beloved girl floats before her, body jerking in the incorporeal chains, but eyes stay lightly shut in peace. Light snuck in and out of the corners of her mouth and a cracked layer of existence. Like as if she was the plate Clorica dropped last week. Venti wasn't supposed to hear the exchange, supposedly fast asleep, but the faint breath of _I forgot I don't need to set one out for Frey anymore_ hit her like a slap in the face. A film of tears settles on the rim of her eyes, painfully watching her writhe. Who did a deity pray to? Luck, maybe, even if it only listened to heroes and gamblers. She gingerly sits down the spheres, edging closer to Frey. A claw helplessly tugs at one of her shackles, only to be stung with enough force to make her reel back. _C'mon Venti! You can fix this._ Her maw contorts itself into an uneasy line, wondering how to save her companion. The dragons whuffs, picking up the Rune Spheres once again, and giving them a look- as if they'll grow faces and tell her what to do. Awkwardly, she presses one to Frey's chest and holds her breath. 

_Nothing._

What did she expect anyhow? For it to unlock bindings made out of magic? Did they even "unlock"? A sigh escapes her, and she pulls it away. Maybe if she hits them hard enough.. She looks at the Spheres again, and another sigh of disappointment falls from her maw as she lifts one high above her head and slams it down on one of the shackles. It gets stuck. Not surprising at all, really. The force of Luck forsakes her again. Turning back to the others, she rubs her forehead, utterly exasperated with herself. She barely catches the slight hiss that sounds out, and whips around to find the source. Only to find no beast or creature, but that the Rune Sphere has disappeared, and the shackle with it.

It's hardly a minute before all shackles have dissipated into white fuzz, but Frey still hangs precariously, self suspended. But she doesn't thrash, in fact, she looks even calmer in expression than before.

"Frey?" Ventuswill questions, gently nudging her prone frame. Frustration bubbles in her heart when the Princess doesn't respond. _This isn't fair! Now I don't have the Rune Spheres or Frey._ The dragon desperately tugs, pulling harsh on the girl, but to no avail. Angry tears and desperation come in a harsh wave. Ventuswill never cried over anything, not even when she disappeared for the sake of Selphia. Not a single drop shed in her entire lifespan, millennia have come and gone, guilt and grief buried deep in her heart, but the first tear spilled for a self-sacrificial pair of green pigtails with a soft smile and a brave heart. What business did the God have crying over the realm of men? She curses for the fact she couldn't save the one that scooped her out of the darkness and pulled all of her Guardians- _her only friends_ \- from an eternity of servitude. She cries for every moment Frey won't spend living her life, when she so vicariously fought for others' to live theirs. She cries for the truest soul she's ever met, laying in solemn silence on cold white. Just the overwhelming noise of barely audible sobs, and the hum of life from Frey to keep her company.

...

**'Venti. Are you crying?'**

Her green eyes shine bright, but the hand laying on her side has no feeling. No warmth or sensation at all. The dragon's sobs do not end as she wraps herself around Frey. **'Ventuswill, are you alright?'** Frey's mouth does not move as she says this, nor does Ventuswill even think she _heard_ her voice. It seemed inside her head, melting into her own internalizations. _How is she doing that?_

**'How am I doing what?'** The princess sits cross legged on the ground, eyes closing once again. Utterly still. Ventuswill touches her cheek with her own to make sure she is breathing. _'Talking to me like this.'_ She thinks her words instead of saying them and watches a small, amused smile perk up on Frey's lips. The girl manages to press a fingertip to the dead center of the dragon's chest without opening her eyes. **'We are the same now.'** Venti blinks twice, not comprehending the concept and Frey shakes her head knowingly. **'You have woken up the same thing inside of me, inside of you. At the same time. Together.'**

Ventuswill's chest seizes as she is overwhelmed with a flow of feelings. A baby bird opens it's eyes for the first time. A wooly nestles deep into hay. Monsters phase into existence. A tree's growth inches along. Humans laugh and cry. She feels a shift and pull as flowers unexpectedly bloom in a patch of snow. _Frey was doing this._ An apple's light starts fading as it's picked. Young girls run in the street, feigning fear as little boys chase them with wooden swords. A man takes his last breath, and the Forest they sit in feels fuller. Terrified and awe-struck, her mind recoils from the earthmate's.

"Frey, you can't do this forever," she pleads. Her voice sounds hollow to the fullness of shared thought. Frey cracks her eyes open, just a peek, like a cat content with laying in the sun. **_'I can.'_**

"I will," she declares, aloud. And it is the last words Ventuswill hears for months.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha i suck at posting, i kind of lost fuel on this with how little the rf4 fandom is. ill try to pick it up when i can if anyone still wants to read.

Energy flowed outwards, across a vast expanse of lush lands. A small smile plays upon her lips. Lush green surrounded her spirit, a glowing version of herself tending to the once dying patch of land. Flowers trumpeted towards the sky, only to be outdone by the expansion of tree branches yearning for the stars. Frey caught the once dead foliage in open arms, letting it dissipate and disappear within herself. Pleased by her own creation, tender laughter filled her. It felt so natural to care for the life cycle as she was supposed to. In a moment, her apparition is elsewhere in the physical world, feeding a thin stream of life force to baby birds chirping in their nest. They nibble her fingertips. After a sufficient enough stream to keep them alive while their mother was away, Frey gives them each a tiny pet on the head, then sweeps her arm outwards to give their general area a boost of energy. It was easy to maintain the overall life force of the land, but some places needed an extra helping hand. Especially since spring had returned once again.

_'Has it really been that long?'_

The itch of homesickness trickles into the back of her mind. Frey furrows her brow, trying to mentally fan away the longing that ebbed from the dragon curled around her physical body. Selphia nipped at her subconscious at times, but the girl only placed any time to it whenever she had to funnel energy towards the town. Despite the serene, duty-bound aura that kept her heart's desires in check, Ventuswill's emotions overwhelmed her at times, and started to encourage the leak of her own feelings. She aches at the thought of returning home, to see the flowers that bloomed as she had left for this place. It had been almost a year in the physical world- but that wasn't her place. She was to remain here, to keep things in order. 

She opens her eyes to look at the mournful divinity trying to edge her into grief. She was a bright streak of turquoise across their white background, resting on the grassy patch she had so anxiously begged for. The lightness of the Forest did not disturb the earthmate, but as to placate the dragon, they found a patch of existence that was homier. Frey eases her fingertips into Venti's mane in an attempt to soothe.

_'There, there. Why don't you just handle your job, Wind? The souls need tending to as they return. They need rest and care, does that not matter as much as your love for a single town?'_

"The real Frey would understand," the dragon snips, "She cared about person things. You only care about this." Despite the discomfort on the new 'Funnel Frey' 's face, Ventuswill huffs, turning her head away from the girl's pets.

_'The so - called Real Frey could not sustain the world.'_

She barely flinches as the dragon snaps her maw in her direction, barely missing her nose by an inch. Tears bud in Ventuswill's eyes and emotion swells in her heart. She may be a dragon, but human feelings ran rampant in her mind. Frey does not feel it, but a real ache for home plagues her. She lashes out into the falsity's mind, pressing memory after memory into her mind. Frey reels with the magnitude of moments thrown upon her. 

_Her forehead pressed to the dragon's snout, laughing quietly to avoid waking up Vishnal and Clorica as they gossip about their days. Hiding under Ventuswill's wing to rest after her recent excursions, looking to avoid Volkanon's overdoting. A flash of her with her lips pressed to Arthur's- then Ventuswill laughing as she catches them and they both turn red. Xiao Pai's delighted clapping as Frey and Ventuswill take her for a flight. Leon asleep on her shoulder. Bado sheepishly offering her a new shield. Arthur being teased about marrying her and stammering out a shy response. Her snuggled up to Ventuswill, her saving Ventuswill, her hovering over the Guardians as she brings them in one by one, each time more distressed for their health than before._

__

__

Frey's body howls in pain, falling to her knees as hands clutch her head. "Please," she says, "Please- Please." It's all she repeats for a solid minute. Ventuswill sobs, fat tears gushing down her cheeks as Frey's mental anguish is shared between them. _Please don't be broken,_ is Ventuswill's counter mantra. Wrapping the earthmate in her wings, Venti curls around her. "I'm sorry," she begs, "I didn't mean to- I didn't mean to hurt you- I." But Frey's howling turns to gentle crying, her fists clutch feathers and she takes a breath like she hasn't in years. Her body heaves with the effort of focusing, deep inhales wracking her frame. 

Green eyes, lively and more clear than all of their months in this place, peer up at Ventuswill. Frey shakily tugs her claws and the dragon scoops her up and opens her wings. Ventuswill can still feel her in her mind. Can still feel her slowly letting life into the world. But her mind is her own, and all that flows between them is **home.**


End file.
